Apparatus for joining metallic strip



W. C. LANG APPARATUS FOR JOINING METALLIC STRIP Aug. 9, 1949.

Filed Feb. 7, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR William 0. Lung BY Mo.

ATTORN E Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR William C.Lonq

BY7; M W

ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1949. w. c. LANG APPARATUS FOR JOINING METALLIC STRIP Filed Feb. 7, 1947 I j rf5 W. C. LANG APPARATUS F( JR JOINING METALLIC STRIP Aug. 9, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 7, 1947 lNVENTOR Wi Ilium 0. Long Z' m /aM ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to the method of and apparatus for joining metallic strip that is fed from a plurality of pay-off reels to a processing unit, such as cleaning or coating or both, in a manner to maintain continuous operation of the process which, in the coating process, obviously requires that there be no interruption.

In conventional practice in the treatment of steel strip produced in coils of great length by cold rolling methods, it is necessary to have slack producers of the elevator type of thirty to fifty feet in height with several loops of strip on the elevator carriage or to have looping pits of even greater depth so that the trailing end of the exhausted coil may be stopped in its travel momentarily for shearing and joining it to the leading end of the new coil without stopping the strip in the line. If, for example, when the strip is moving from one thousand to three thousand feet per minute and the welding operation for joining the strip ends requires twenty seconds, it is necessary to store one thousand feet of slack to allow the line to operate at the set line speed. Such lengths of slack are impractical to handle and cause difiiculties, such as tangling of the strip.

Other disadvantages of conventional practice of paying out strip from a coil to a processing unit are that the coils from the mill are out of balance or become off balance when transferred to the processing unit or when mounted and clamped on the pay-off reel of the processing unit. Also the coils are sometimes'not wound with their edges in true alignment or are mounted on the pay-off reel in a manner that the edges of the new coil are not in true alignment with the predetermined line-up of the processing unit. Such unbalance and misalignment cause irregularities of operation of the line resulting in jerking of the strip in the line from an out of balance coil, etc.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a method of automatically shearing the trailing end of one coil of strip and joining it to the sheared leading end of another coil while the strip is moving at line speed without the use of slack producers or looping pits.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for balancing the coil on the pay-01f reel and for lining up the coil on the payoff reel to permit proper tracking of the strip through the processing unit.

Another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus for shearing and welding a moving strip.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a novel form of pay-off reel arranged in pairs so that the reel paying oil strip to the line is always in the same position when paying off strip except during the welding operation and the empty reel is in the same position each time for loading a new reel. The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings, constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts, and in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view diagrammatically illustrating apparatus for joining metallic strip embodying the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 a similar view illustrating a modified form of welding electrodes;

Fig. 3 a front elevational View of the cut-ofi mechanism employed in the structures of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 a view in cross section taken transversely of the cutting rolls of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 a cross sectional view transversely of the axis of a plurality of welding rolls;

Fig. 6 a front elevational view of the welding roll shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 a top plan vie-w of a terminal plate for a plurality of welding electrodes;

Fig. 8 a cross sectional view illustrating the welding electrodes and retracting apparatus therefor;

Fig. 9 a side elevational view of the electrode terminal structure shown in Fig. 7

Fig. 10 an end elevational View, and Fig. 11 a side elevation, partially in cross section, of a switch for energizing the cutting mechanism;

Fig. 12 a side elevational view of a plurality of pay-off reels mounted for angular movement; and

Fig. 13 a, top plan view of a motor drive and control circuits for a plurality of pay-off reels.

With reference to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the numeral l designates a powered pay-off reel for feeding metallic strip 2 which, as shown in Fig. 1, has been unreeled to the last strand and has just released a spring loaded contact lever 3, the details of which will be hereinafter explained. The numeral la designates a second pay-off reel having a similar spring loaded contact lever 3a, which by pressure of the strip coiled thereon is in the depressed position. The reel I a is paying off or feeding metallic strip 2a that passes over a guide roll 4 and between a pair of pulling squeegee rolls 5 and 6 by which it is fed against a deflector plate 1 which preferably has side guides, not shown. Strip 2, payed off from reel I, passes between shearing rolls 8 and 9 having shear blades l0 and II and then passes between a pair of back tension squeegee rolls l2 and I3 to Welding rolls l4 and I5. In accordance with this invention, one of the two reels l and la is always feeding strip to a processing unit such as a cleaning or plating bath (not shown) at a predetermined line speed which by means of the apparatus herein described is not interrupted when the strip has been exhausted from the reel because the trailing edge is automatically joined to the leading edge of the other reel without interrupting the process.

The shearing roll 8 and its accompanying backup roll 9 are not tightly pressed together as the squeegee rolls 5 and 6, a slight clearance being allowed at the tangent point of the'rolls to avoid distortion of the strip by the notch I I of the back up roll 9 when the shear is not operating. Shear rolls 8 and 9 are motor driven at line speed and are interconnected by gearing to maintain o erative alignment of the shearing knife I and notch II.

As will be hereinafter explained, the spring loaded contact lever 3 of the pay-01f reel l ener gizes the actuator that the extends the shear blade It at apredetermined point of theshearing revolution. 'Contactlever 3 also initiates rotation of :the pulling squeegee rolls 5' and 6 and the driving. motorv of pay-off. reel la in a manner hereinafter explained, and at a predetermined timeinterval after the release of contact lever 3., when the last strand of the coil unwraps, thewelding tips of roll I4 are projected'in contact with. the strip to spot weld the trailing end of strip 2 with the leading end of strip 12a. The welding squeegees I4 and I5 are likewise not pressed tightly together. and are driven synchronously at strip speed by separate motors, not shown. A

surface. cleaning device I 5 contacts the lower welding roll I5.

Withreference to-Figs. 3 and 4, the shearing roll 8 and its back-up roll 9 are shown in detail; The shearing blade Ifl'is extensible through a slot Illa. of the roll by means of a bar I] disposedin as'lot I8 of the hollow roll shaft I9,

the bar I'l being-displaced vertically by an operating bar that isactuated'by solenoids 2.I and 2 2; The blade actuating bar I! and the operating bar 23 are tapered throughout their length sotha tyaxial movement-of the operating bar 20 .1

tapered bar 28,, the bar being-operated by solenoids 29; and 3!). The electrodes are energized withelectrical current by, terminal rings3l and 32;;connectedto a suitable source ofelectrical current andnecessary controls. The electricalterminalsv are axially and angularly staggered; as shown-in Fig. 6 to provide a.multiple of terminal contacts for engaging the sheet strip to be welded when passingbetween the welding roll-and the back-up roll. The welding roll is insulated so that no. current can escape to the sheet strip except through the terminal ends at the time of welding and the, back-uproll I5 isprovided witha highly conducting surface material 33, such as copper, which is ke t cleanby a means IBbiased by a coil spring I642 'to maintain yielding contact with the back-up roll.

' Thejpay-oif reel I is shown enlarged in Figs. 10 and 11- in which the contact arm 3is shown as biasedby a spring 34. The arm 3 carries an electrical contact 35 which energizes an electrical control-circuit whenit engages terminal 36, the circuit consisting of the slip ring-31, the ring 38 and the bushes 3:Ia-and 38a, respectively. When the arm 3 1s down, as when the coil is wrapped therearound; the controlci-rcuit is open-and when the last wrap of the coil releases contact arm 3 contactor 35 closes the circuit with terminal 36 and energizes the control circuit.

As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the pay-01f reels 5 and la are mounted on a. yoke 39 which is mounted on a shaft 40 journaled in a standard ll and the yoke 39 is rotatable by means of a gear wheel 42 driven by a pinion 43 of a motor 44,

Fig. 13. As shown in Fig. 13, the pay-01f reels l and la have their shafts 45 and 46 separately driven by motors 41 and 48. These motors operate as either driving or back tension motors and the shafts 45 and 4B are journaled in the yoke 39*by bearings 49 and 53'. Shaft i0 is journaled in bearings 5! and 52 having block rings 53 and 54 and has a square end for engagement with the yoke39; Shafts 45 and 46 of reels I and Ia carry stationary rings 55'and 56,, respectively, that are actuated by forks 5! and 58 connected'by levers 5-9 and 30 to motors BI and 62: These motors are'energizedby contact levers in the pathof the strips 2 and 2a.so that when the latter are out: of alignment motors GI and B2 are energized to move the forks andlthereby the shafts45 and 46 th adjust the reels to proper alignment.

The shafts i5vandj46 also .carry collector. rings 3:3 and MJ-With-their 'associated 'brushes B5 and 86 which supply current to the motors" and itxand'figl :and-E'ZJandto contact points of the G011? tact-:leversSand 3a. Reels Ixand Ia, carry balancing blocks 69;. which provide a method of dynamically balancing reels -I.:and Ia-by spinning the reels with the motors Hand 48. before the coil is'weldedand the balancing weights Gamay-be lockedvin their adjustedposition. Reels I'and Ia areprovided'with clamping drums I0 and Illa.

In themodified'form ofithe pay-ofi, shearing and welding mechanism shown in Figs. 2, 7, 8 and. 9. the-strip 2:is pulled by the squeegee rolls '5 and 6 and strip Zabysqueegee rolls -I2"and I3. The strip is shear'edby a shearing block II which is connected to be operable by the welding, block I2. A shear knife I3 is mounted on the welding and shearing block. Idand contacts shear block IL-toshear off the trailing end of strip 2; Blocks 12*and'I'4 are mounted to travel with the strip at stripspeed until the shearing and welding operationhave been completed. The blocks then openanchreturn to their starting position. The blocks .12 and I4. are biased to their normally open position-and when released, close on the strips 2: and "2a,, the end of strip 2a=being initially mag netically: held by the block "energized by magneticcoiIsIS; The-welding electrodes I2a, Figs. 7 and 8, of the shearing and welding blocks are actuated in the direction of contacting the-strips 2-z'an d- Zabysdlenoids 15, I6; 11 and-"I8; Current is supplied to the welding electrodes 12a through thesha-ft-BU; Fig. 8, insulatedfrom block -I2-by bushing 81 The operation of-thestrip joining apparatus will first be describedin connection with Figs. 1, =3; 4, 5; 6:, 10, 11, 12 and 13-01 the drawings which relate to the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. As viewed in Fig.- L'the sheetstripZ has been payed off reel I to the pointwhere th'e-last strand-has unwrapped and relieved thepressure on contact 3, which; assho'wnFigs. wand-.11, is biased by spring 34 to the extended position'inwhich position contact 35, Fig. 11, engages terminal- 3B of the-control circuit which-energizes solenoids 2| and :22; Fig. 3, of the shear roll-8 to extend-the shearblade I-Il at a predetermined point of the shearing revolution or stroke. The shear roll 8 andthe back-up rolllfi -are driven at the same speed as the strip 2. The actuating contact 3 simultaneously also starts rotation of the pulling squeegees 5 and 6, and the driving motor 48, Fig. 13, of the pay-off reel la, so that the end of the new strip 2a is fed against the deflector plate 1 which feeds the strip into perfect alignment with the strip 2. At a predetermined time after contact 3 is released, the welding terminals 25, Fig. 5 of the welding roll 14 are extended outward to contact the strip 2a and spot weld it with strip 2, thus joining the lapped-over trailing and leading ends of strips 2 and 2a. After the shearing blade I!) has made its shearing stroke, it is retracted before it again comes into shearing position.

When the welding operation is completed, the pulling rolls 5 and 6 discontinue feeding the strip 2a and act as a back drag to keep the line tension constant until slack between reel la and guide roll 4 is taken up. Then the back drag is supplied by the driving motor 48 of pay-off reel la. Driving motor 41, in the meantime, had been supplying back tension to strip 2 until this strip was exhausted from pay-off reel l, at which time actuating lever 3 starts back tension squeegee rolls l2 and 13 to supply back tension. When all the slack .of the strip 2a between reel Ia and guide roll 4 has been taken up and back drag is being supplied by the driving motor 48 of pay-off reel la, the driving motor acting as a generator or dynamic brake, rotation of the shearing roll 8 is halted and the roll is displaced along the line of its shaft until it clears the edge of the strip and is out of register therewith. Guide roll 4 and squeegee rolls 5 and 6 are then lowered in a vertical direction until there is no downward component of tension on the surfaces of rolls 4 and 6, the strip being in a straight line from the top of the coil of reel Ia to a tangent point of the rolls l2 and i3. The tension on squeegee rolls 5 and 6 is then released and, together with the guide roll 4, these rolls are retracted along their axis out of line of travel of strip 2a. The payoff reels l and la are then rotated through the gear drive 42 and 43, Figs. 12 and 13, in a clockwise direction until reel la takes the position of reel l and vice versa. Rolls 4, 5 and 6 are then raised above the strip line and are replaced to the position shown in Fig. 1 in line with the strip but above it. A new coil is then mounted on the reel I that has now taken the position of reel la, Fig. 1, and the device is ready for the next shearing and welding after the operator has sheared the end of the new coil and feed it over guide roll 4 and between the squeegee rolls 5 and 6 against deflector plate 8.

In operation of the modified form of pay-off apparatus shown in Fig. 2, the operation of the contact arm 3 and the pay-off reels l and la, the rolls [2, i3 and the Squeegees 5 and 6 is the same as described in connection with Fig. 1 of the drawings. The welding apparatus, however, differs as has been described, and in this case the leading end of the new coil 2a is held magnetically to the welding block 12 by coils 19, Fig. 6. When lever 3 of reel l is actuated, the back drag tension on the strip 2 is transferred from the driving motor 41 of reel l to the squeegee rolls i2 and I3 and, at the same time, the two welding and shearing blocks 12 and 14 are released to move in the direction of travel of the strip, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

When blocks 12 and '54 start to move, the solenoid 16 of the block 12 is energized, as is the solenoid 11 of block 14, forcing the two blocks into clamping position on the leading and trailing ends of the strips 2 and 2a. On the upward motion of the block 14, shear knife 13 contacts shear block H, shearing ofi the trailing end of strip 2. The blocks then move with the strip and the welding tips 12a (Fig. 8) of the blocks are actuated to Weld the two strips together. After the welding operation the blocks 12 and 14 separate and their strip holding magnets deenergize, the shearing block ll starting below the strip pass line with the block 14. When the strip 2 leaves the back tension Squeegees l2 and E3, the back tension is applied to squeegees 5 and 6 until the slack between reel la and squeegees 5 and 6 is taken up. The back tension is then supplied by the driving motor 48 of reel la, Fig. 13. As soon as blocks 12 and 14 begin forward movement with the strip, the driving motor of reel la is started in a direction to pay off strip from reel la to overcome the static inertia of reel la. As the welding operation is completed blocks '52 and 74 return to their starting position, as shown in the solid lines in Fig. 2. Tension on squeegees l2 and I3 is then released and roll l2 and shearing block H are retracted in a direction parallel to the face of the strip until they are out of the line of travel of the strip. Squeegees 5 and 6 are then lowered in a vertical plane until there is no downward component of tension on roll 6. ihe tension on squeegees 5 and 6 is then released and roll 6 is retracted out of line of travel of the strip. Reels I and la then rotate in a clockwise direction, the reel 1 assuming the position of the reel Ia and vice versa. Rolls 6 and [2 in the shearing block H are then raised and again assume their original position, as shown in Fig. 2.

It is evident from the foregoing description of the invention that the method of shearing and joining the leading and trailing edges of a plurality of coiled strips automatically without in,- terrupting line travel of the strip eliminates the need for elevators or looping pits, and is carried on without interruption of the processing of the strip, such as cleaning or platin or both, as the case may be.

Although the invention has been described in a general way, it is evident that various modifications are possible in the use of electrical and mechanical actuating devices within the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the principles herein set forth. For example, hydraulic actuating mechanism, pneumatic or mechanical movement may be substituted for the electrical controls and actuators, and instead of spot welding, seam welding or other means of joining the strip may be employed.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for paying'oif metallic strip to a processing unit comprising a pluralityof payoff reels on which coils of strip are alternately loaded and payed off to the processing line, means for shearing the trailing edge of the strip of one reel and joining it to the sheared leading edge of the other reel, means for aligning the trailing and leading ends of said strips in overlapped and juxtaposed position, and means for joining said overlapped strip, said means being energized by an actuator in response to the unwinding of the last strand of the coiled strip on said reels and said respective means being operative on said strips at a predetermined line speed of the strip through the processing unit and joining unit.

2. Apparatus for paying off metallic strip to a pre'cessing iinitcomprising -a plurality of spayi'els mounted on a *conimon' support; means for rotating *said supporttoalternately place said inpaying ofi and loading 'positio'n, each ofsa-idreelshaving-a drive motor and each reel having a switch arm in engagement-with the last strand of-the coiledstrip on said'ree1s which arms-are '--norma-lly depressed 'but released'when the last=-strand 'of strip is unwound, means energizeaby said reel switch *for shearing the trailing edge-ofcne-reel and for feeding the leading 'edge' of the other reel to overlap -said trailing edge, and -means *a-lso energized by said reel sw-it'ch -'for= -welding saidoverlapped strip'edges while'passing to-the'processing line.

3. Apparatus for paying -offmetallic strip to :a' processing unit comprising a plurality of pay- =ofireels-meunted on a com'mon'support, means 'for=rotating said support to alternately place saidreelsin paying off and loading position, each 'ofsaidreels havinga drive motor and each're'el having a switch arm'in engagement wi-th'the last strand of the coiled strip on said reels which arms are l-iormally depressed but released when the last strand of *strip is unwound, drive rolls for feding-said strip after it leaves said reels, shear- 'ingmechanism for shearing the trailing edge of e the strip, and welding- -means for joining the trailing-and leading edges of the strip, the operation-of saiddrive rolls, shearing and welding devices being initiated by the switcharm of the payoff reel when rel-eased*by the last strand of'th'e strip coil.

ii-Apparatus for paying-01f metallic strip to processing units cornprising a plurality-of p'ayofi reelson which the strip is=initia1ly coiled, said "reels" being mounted-on the ends of a yoke which lis jo'urnal'ed for rotation whereby the pay-oil reels*arebodily movable angularly about the yoke axisto bring the -Strip--in parallel alignmentin the direction-of its traveltothe processingu-nit, Ssaid reels being -joiirnaled in- 'said yoke and having individual" motors for rotating the reels or to act as a magnetic brake when-the strip-is pulled,

guide rolls for said strip and squeegee' rolls for switcharm carried by'the pay-off reels normally displaced to open' position-by the last strand of the strip coil on the reel and which when released energizes the several actuating means ior the drive,- "she'arandwelding rolls to eiiect shearing,-overla'pping andwel'ding of the trailing and leading edges of the strip without interrupting the travel of-the strip to the processing unit.

5. Apparatus 'forpaying off metallic Strip-170a processing unit comprising a plurality of payoff reels-on which coils ofstrip are alternately loaded'and'payed off to the processin line r-means for shearing'the-trailing edge of the strip of one a reel andjoinin 'it to thesheared leading edge of the other'reel, means for aligning thetrailin'g and leading ends of said strips-in overlapped-and juxtaposed position, and means including a-welding roll having radially :spaced electrodes for -'joining said overlapped strip, said -means being "energized by 'anaetuator in response'to thefun- =winding of the last strand of the coil-ed strip on said reelsand heing operative 'oir'sa'id strips at a =predetermine d line speed hf the strip "th-rough "the'processing unit-and joining unit.

""6. *Apparatus 'for-ipaying off metallic strip to aprocessingunit "comprising a plurality of pay- "offreels on which coils'of stripare"alternately loaded-and pa-yecl dfi'to theproc'essing line,means or-"shearing-'thetrailing-edge of the strip drone reel 'and-joiningit to the sheared leading edge of -the ether -reel, means foraligmng the trailin'g an'd-leading ends of-said strips in overlapped and juxtaposed position,means including a welding roll having radially -'spaced electrodes for joining saidoverlapped strip, and means includ xing a-rotary shear roll for shearing the trailing endof theassociate'd coil, saidmeans being-enwinding- 0f the last strand of theeciled strip en'said' reels and loeing "operative on -said-'-strips at -a predetermined line speed er the strip thr0ugh theprocessing unit and joinin unit.

' Vaikbpartmtu's for paying err metallic strip to -aprocessing unit comprising 'a plurality of payefi reels mounted "en a common supportfmeans ion-rotating said support to alternately *place said -reels in paying-elf and load-ing-pos-ition, each of said 're'els having-a drive-metorand-each reel ==l iaving a switch arm inengagement with the'las-t strand or the -coiled strippn said reelswhich arms *are normal-ly depressed but released when the last strand- Y of strip is unwound, --shearing 'me'chani'Sm including a rotary sheanroll for shearing the -'trailing edge of the -st1"'ip, and-welding 'means including -a welding roll having radially spaced electrodes for joining the trailing and-leading edges "of the strip, t-heoperation bf said drive rolls, shearing --a-nd welding-devices being initiated by the switcharm-of the pay-oil reelwhen released-by thelast strand of the strip coil.

8. -Apparatus 'for paying err metallic -strip to 'a-p'rocessing unit comprising a-plhr'ality of payefi -reels mounted-en a common support, means for =rotating sa/id support to alternatelyplac'e said reels in paying elfand loading -position, each of said =reelsh'aVi-ng-a drive motor -and each' reel havinga switeh a'rm in engagement'with the last strand of the coiled strip on said'reeIsWh-ich arms a are -nor-m-ally depressed but released when the last strand of *strip "is unwound; means energ ized by said reel- -switch fowshearing the trailing-edge of one reel andfor "feeding the leading edge of the other reel to overlap said trailing edgegs and means also energized by said "reel switch 3hr w'el-ding said overlapped strip' edges while a passing te the processing -l ineata predetermined line speed.

=WILLIAM- C.-= LANG.

'"REFERENfiJES :CITED Thefollowing references areof rec'ord'in 'th'e file-of this patent:

- UNITED-STATES PATENTS 

